Digital seawater processing

A method of operating a seawater processing facility, the method comprising:

• directing a feed stream of seawater, via an inlet of a seawater processing facility, into a separation vessel configured to perform membrane purification and comprising one or more membrane units, wherein the one or more membrane units comprise one or more membrane filters;
• recovering, via the one or more membrane filters, purified seawater and concentrated seawater;
• determining, via a processor receiving sensor data from one or more sensors, operating parameters of the one or more membrane units, wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise a flow rate, a temperature, a pressure, and a composition of one or more streams associated with the one or more membrane filters;
• determining, via the processor, a fouling factor indicative of a condition of the one or more membrane filters based on the determined operating parameters, wherein the fouling factor is a function of a permeability of the one or more membrane filters, a flow across the one or more membrane filters, an average pressure drop across the one or more membrane filters, an osmotic pressure drop based on process temperatures and compositions, and a temperature correction, based on the one or more operating parameters;
• using, via the processor, a statistical model to resolve a time dependence of the condition of the one or more membrane filters;
• using, via the processor, a recursive statistical process to update the statistical model;
• using, via the processor, the updated statistical model to predict a future condition of the one or more membrane filters as a function of a future time;
• comparing, via the processor, the predicted future condition of the one or more membrane filters to a threshold condition, wherein the threshold condition indicates an end of a useful life or a point triggering an intervention;
• predicting, via the processor, a remaining time before the one or more membrane filters reaches the threshold condition, wherein the remaining time comprises a remaining useful life or time triggering the intervention;
• and
• adjusting, via the processor, one or more valves to change a flow rate of a chemical treatment associated with the one or more membrane filters to cause:
• an increase in the remaining time by increasing the chemical treatment in response to the remaining time decreasing by more than a time elapsed since a previous prediction of the remaining time;
• and
• a decrease in the remaining time by decreasing the chemical treatment in response to the remaining time increasing by more than a time elapsed since a previous prediction of the remaining time.